Bustle



(No Model.)

A. TRELEASE.

BUSTLE.

No. 328,440. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

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PATENT ALFORD TRELEASE, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

BUSTLE.

ESPBCIE'ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328.440, datedOctober 13, 1885.

Application filed October 13, 1884. Serial No. 145,334. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFORD TRELEASE, of Waterbury, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inBustles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference markedthereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a perspective view of one of the springs, showing theinelastic connections between its two ends; Fig. 2, side view of a skirtwith the springs introduced; Fig. 3, transverse section of the skirt,showing the connection of the ends of the springs across the skirt.

This invention relates to an attachment for ladies skirts, designed toextend the rear portion of the dress in the form of a bustle.

Short springs have been introduced in circumferential pockets in therear portion of a skirt, the ends of the springs connected across theskirt in the rear of the person, and so that the ends of the springs maybe drawn together or separated to increase or diminish the projection ofthe rear portion of the skirt. The connection of the end of the springsin the usual construction is rigid, and when the wearer desires to sitshe must exercise considerable skill in doing so, in order not to breakthe springs or connections, and as the connec tions between the ends ofthe springs are unyielding any force applied tending to flatten thesprings curved by the connection brings a strain upon the spring andconnection, tending to break the one or the other.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties; and itconsists in attaching to each end of the metal spring an elastic stripterminating in an inelastic tape or connection, by which the two elasticstrips may be united, and so as to form an elastic connection betweenthe two ends of the spring, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents one of the springs by which the skirt is extended or bustleformed. It is made from a thin strip of elastic metal. To each end' ofthe spring a fabricated elastic strip, B, is attached. These stripsterminate in a tape, C, or other suitable device, by which the free e1.ds of the elastic portions B B may be connected, and so as to draw thespring into a segment or semicircular shape, as seen in Fig. 1. Theconnection between the two ends of the spring being thus made elasticwill yield so as to permit the ends of the spring to separate and comeinto a flat condition, or will yield to permit the connection to bend,as it were, back into the spring, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1.

The springs are applied in a circumferential pocket in the rear portionof the skirt, and connected across, as seen in Fig. 3, the connectionbeing in rear of the person, and so as to hold the rear portion of theskirt extended from the wearer in bustle form.

If, wearing such a garment, a lady sit, the connections across the endof the spring yield so as to permit the connection to pass rearward intothe spring or rear portion of the skirt, and also permit the spring tostraighten to some extent, or sufficient to readily lie beneath thewearer without discomfort or danger of breaking either the spring orconnection, and when the wearer rises, the connections and spring resumetheir proper shape and distend the dress.

The spring A, with the elastic strips B B attached to its respectiveends, and the connections C C between, are made as an article ofmanufacture, to be introduced into the skirt by aperson purchasing thebustle-spring; and there may be several of such springs introduced intothe skirt, according to the taste or requirements of the wearer, Fig. 2show ing three such springs introduced.

I have represented the inelastic connections C C as tapes tied; but itwill be understood that any of the known equivalents may be employed inthe place of such tapes and knot.

I am aware that metal springs have been introduced into pockets inskirts, with a connection across the skirt in the vicinity of the endsof the springs, and in the form of an apron to rest against the body,the said apron made adj ustabie by various devices, so as to increase orreduce the projection of the bustle; but I do not claim such a bustle asmy invention, the essential feature of my invention being the individualand independent springs, each having an elastic strip attached to itsends, with an inelastic connection between such strips, whereby eachparticular spring, and a greater'or less-number, maybe 1 introduced intopockets formed for them in a skirt, the ends of each particular springdrawn toward each other to any desirable extent, without an apron orlike connection, from one side of the skirt to the other.

I claim- 1. As an article of manufacture, the bustlespring A, having anelastic strip, B, attached to its respective ends, the said elasticstrips terminating in inelastic connecting devices 0 O, substantially asdescribed.

2." A skirt having one or more springs, A

A, in circumferential pockets in the rear portion of the skirt, the saidsprings having an elastic strip, B, attached to each of their ends, thesaid elastic strips terminating in inelastic connections 0 0 across theskirt in rear of the wearerysubstantially as described;

ALFORD TRELEASE.

Witnesses:

H. R. WILsoN, CHAS. E. WELoH.

